Death is My Calling
by Kora Bloom
Summary: Sequel to "Diamond in the Rough". Koxra, Axel, and Luxord are sent to find a member whose personality matches the dark element she controls. Will eventually be rewritten to go with changes made to prequels.
1. Prologue

**Pairings for this fic: Axel/Koxra, Roxas/Xion, Demyx/Vilx, and Zexion/Risox (I may introduce another pairing in this fic, but I'm not sure about it yet since I'll have to develop the story, so I might wait till a future story to introduce the pairing. I'm not sure yet). **

**Warning: What my stories will NEVER contain is yaoi or yuri, so if you came here looking for that, I suggest you look elsewhere. If you don't like het pairings, you were fairly warned. Also, this story will be a crossover with Wizard101, but the Wizard101 part won't really come in until the next chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters. If I did, Axel, Roxas, Xion, and Demyx would be alive and have their own hearts and bodies and Sora would be just fine without merging with Xion and Roxas. I only own Koxra, Vilx, Risox, Raxik, and Koxra and Demyx's cats (Nikki and Pocket). Also, the song, "Crazy Bitch" belongs to Buckcherry.

* * *

**

_Hey, you're a crazy bitch_

_But you fuck so good I'm on top of it_

_When I dream_

_I'm doing you all night_

_Scratches all down my back to keep me right on_

Xion cautiously opened the door and found the Flurry of Dancing Flames dancing around his room with the stereo blaring. She stood there for several minutes before deciding to knock on the door frame.

Axel jumped and went over to turn the stereo off. He walked to the door, blushing. "Uh, please don't tell me you saw that."

"Well, yeah," Xion said. "Guess I should've knocked _before_ opening the door."

Axel rubbed his forehead. "Ah, never mind. What's up?"

"Well, Koxra sent me to get you," Xion explained. "You two and Luxord are going to a new world. Another proof appeared."

Axel scratched his head. "Whoa, another member? Why didn't Kosh come?"

Xion sighed. "Vilx is sick. She's trying to get her settled so Demyx can take over."

Axel stared. "What's she have?"

Xion shrugged. "Vexen thinks it's a stomach bug. She's been throwing up all night. They're trying to give her bland things to see if she can keep them down. Koxra's also been giving her ginger ale for some reason."

"Oh," said Axel. "She said that's what everyone in her family drank when they were sick to their stomachs. I don't really get how it works. Hell, _Kosh_ probably doesn't even get how it works. All she knows is that it does."

Xion smiled. "Well, as long as it works, who cares _how_ it works."

"Well, guess I better go find Kosh and Lux so we can get going," said Axel.

* * *

**Incredibly short prologue once again. Notice that my OC didn't make an appearance yet? She will soon. Did anyone else laugh at Axel dancing?**

**Okay, same as usual, 3 reviews in order for me to put up the next chapter. **


	2. Ch1 Strange Happenings

**Warning: The rest of this story could contain spoilers for Wizard101. This chapter, specifically, contains spoilers for the Nintendo DS game, **_**Time Hollow**_**.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed. Here's the next installment.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters. If I did, Axel, Roxas, Xion, and Demyx would be alive and have their own hearts and bodies and Sora would be just fine without merging with Xion and Roxas. I also don't own Wizard101. I only own Koxra, Vilx, Risox, Raxik, Nikki, Pocket, Angela, Suri, and Angel (those 3 are available name choices for your character in the game, but names are not copywritten).**

* * *

"Ah, what the _hell_ are you two wearing?" Koxra asked. Luxord was now wearing a blue robe and hat, both with yellow trim. Axel was wearing a black robe and hat, both with red trim.

Axel stared. "Well, _you're_ wearing something similar."

Koxra was wearing a white robe and hat, both with black trim. "Oh, _hell_ no. This hat is coming off. I hate hats!"

Axel face-palmed. "She's gonna make a scene."

Luxord sighed and began dragging the Writer away by the arm. "Perhaps we should go where there isn't a crowd and discuss this. Fate must enjoy throwing trouble my way."

Koxra tugged in vain. "Hey, let me go! I just don't wanna wear the damn hat!"

Axel sighed. "Kosh, for the love of Kingdom Hearts, would you at _least_ settle down until we get away from this crowd? People are staring." Koxra eventually gave in and grumbled to herself as the trio walked away.

A girl with blue eyes and long, red hair stared after them. She was about five feet, four inches tall. "_They_ were a weird bunch. What do you think, Suri?"

The girl with green eyes and long, blue hair, who was Suri, giggled. She was about five feet, two inches tall. "Don't know, Angela. I thought they were pretty hilarious. Wonder where in the Spiral they came from."

Angela shrugged. "Who knows? They don't seem as weird as that Angel Soulheart, though."

"Hmm, yes, the mature response is always comparing anyone you find strange to me, isn't it?"

Angela turned. "It's the embodiment of evil. Just how do you pop out of nowhere like that? Do you have a contract with some dark god who lends you powers?"

The girl with dark blue eyes and long, white hair, who was Angel Soulheart, smirked. She was four feet, eight inches tall. "If I did, that would hardly be any business of yours."

"So, you haven't been poisoning well water in Krokotopia? asked Suri. "My sister said you were."

Angel scoffed. "I'm a student of Death magic. Last I checked, we didn't study anything to do with poison. Why would I waste time poisoning people that I typically ignore in the first place?"

Angela blinked. "So, why is your name Angel if you're anything _but_ an angel?"

Angel scoffed again. "I can't say _I_ like it either, but it's the only name I have to go by, so I have to use it."

Suri giggled. "You could go by 'No-name'."

Angel sighed. "Why do I bother talking to you two? Angela insults me and _you_ make lame jokes that only _you_ think are funny."

Suri blinked. "How come you're so mean?"

Angel snorted. "Mean is based on only a single person's interpretation. Besides, there are people out there much worse than me. An example is a serial killer."

Angela scoffed. "You'll never make friends if you keep up your 'stay away from me' vibe."

"Who needs friends?" asked Angel. "They're unreliable, too much trouble, and turn on you when it's convenient for them. I'm better off working alone. I was never offered help and never needed it anyway, so why should I care?" She walked away.

"Man, that girl is weird," said Angela.

"I feel bad for her," said Suri. "What could've happened to make her think that way?"

* * *

"Alright, Kosh, can you please calm down?" asked Axel. "If it's such a big deal, you don't have to wear the hat."

Koxra sighed. "Well, I _did_ overreact, but I'm _still_ taking the hat off." She did so.

Luxord sighed. "Dare I ask _why_ you hate hats?"

"They mess my hair up," Koxra replied.

Axel laughed. "Sorry, but that's such a _girl_ answer and you don't really act girly."

Koxra smirked. "The girl in me is five percent. The rest is my own little thing."

Axel chuckled. "Man, if I didn't think you were weird already, I'd _definitely_ be thinking it now."

Luxord cleared his throat. "So, what do you say we start searching for the new member?"

"I'm all for it, but what do we have to go on?" asked Koxra.

Luxord withdrew a piece of paper from his pocket. "We are looking for a female who resides in Wizard City."

Axel raised an eyebrow. "That information is way too generic, got it memorized? What, are we supposed to walk around and ask every girl if she lost her heart?"

Koxra laughed. "Depending on their mood and how they interpret the question, that just might get you smacked."

Axel shuddered. "Don't want _that_ happening. What else can we do, though?"

Luxord stroked his chin. "Maybe we should start by finding out if anyone has seen any Heartless. Then, we can narrow things down to girls who have come in contact with them and perhaps start asking if any of _them_ were behaving oddly."

Koxra grinned. "Sounds good. At least _one_ of us is thinking. Though, this would get done a lot quicker if Wolf-boy could've supplied a name."

Axel shrugged. "Well, what can you do?"

* * *

Angel walked over to the World Gate inside Bartleby. "Where to? I guess I could start in the Palace of Fire. I've been putting that off for a while now." She went to the door in Bartleby's center and selected Krokotopia from the list of worlds in the Spiral. She was instantly transported.

* * *

"Who, wait, back up," said Axel. "So this 'Hollow Pen' lets him travel through time?"

Koxra face-palmed. "No! He opens up holes in time by drawing a circle in the air with the pen. If he went through the hole, he'd be left out of the flow of time and wouldn't age. The pen would become invisible to him, so he wouldn't be able to use it since he couldn't use up his lifespan to use it."

Axel grabbed his forehead and squeezed it slightly. "Ugh, my head hurts. How can you play something that confusing? If he doesn't go through the holes, how exactly can he fix anything?"

Koxra rolled her eyes. "The answer to Question One is: I try not to think about the things that cause too much confusion. The answer to Question Two is: he moves items around, puts them into a moment in time, or removes them from a point in time."

Luxord blinked. "What exactly are you two talking about?"

Koxra looked at him. "A video game called _Time Hollow_. I just got it last week."

Luxord smirked. "Anything that has to do with time travel or meddling with time naturally causes a great deal of confusion in most people."

Koxra blinked. "How do _you_ not get confused, Luxord? Time _is_ your element, after all."

Luxord grinned. "Well, I adopt the method of not thinking about it. It's the easiest way to avoid an overload of the brain with all the thinking in circles that _not_ doing so would require."

Koxra laughed. "Yeah, it wouldn't be a good idea for you to have an overload and stand there like Frigimon froze you in the middle of a fight."

Axel thought for a minute. "Uh, is now really the best time to discuss video games and Luxord's powers? I don't even know how we started talking about that in the first place. Aren't we supposed to be asking people if they've seen any Heartless?"

Koxra laughed nervously. "Sorry. Just got sidetracked."

Luxord sighed. "I wonder how you get your missions done when you have solo missions."

Koxra scratched her head. "Yeah, well, those were _solo_ missions. I had no one along to talk to, so I was able to stay on task."

Axel scoffed. "Typical. How long exactly is your attention span?"

Koxra glared. "It's plenty long, thank you very much. I'm always back on time, aren't I?"

Luxord chuckled. "She _does_ have a point, Axel. Besides, as long as she gets done, why does it matter what else she does?"

Koxra snorted. "Guys, we're getting sidetracked again."

Axel sighed. "Well, _I'm_ the highest ranked member here and _I_ say we should actually start doing what Luxord said."

"Well, we can at _least_ narrow things down to people who live in Wizard City," said Koxra. "There's some girls over there. Why don't we ask _them_?"

Luxord looked to the girls Koxra had indicated. "Let's try not to act suspicious. Maybe we should just tell them we're investigating anything strange."

Koxra laughed. "Heh, Luxord, maybe _you_ should be in charge instead of Axel. _He_ didn't think of _anything_ yet."

Axel glared. "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence. Nice to know I'm not needed."

"Oh, you're still needed," said Koxra. "In case you forgot, _I'm_ not good with ideas like this either, but Xemnas sent all three of us."

Axel sighed. "Let's just start asking already."

* * *

Angel wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Only four Flame Servants left before I'm done with all the quests I have. Two more battles, then. Some more are over there." She ran to them, a circle formed, and two joined. "Okay, first, something that requires no pips." She cast Death Touch on the one on the left. Just then, three more joined. "What the hell? The battle circle is only designed for four on four matches. Four monsters and four wizards. Plus, there can only be _one_ more monster than there are wizards."

She winced as a Firebird spell hit her. She tried to cast another spell, but the Flame Servants kept ganging up and hitting her with several spells at once. "They aren't doing this right! They aren't going by the method used throughout the Spiral! Ugh, I wish they would die so I can get outta here." Ten walking skeletons showed up. "Great, more. I'm as good as dead." The skeletons were not attacking her, though. They were attacking the Flame Servants. "What the—well, I guess they didn't see me. Better port home before they do."

Angle arrived in her dorm room, bent over and bleeding. Clutching her stomach, she made her way to the bathroom, shut the door, and removed her robe to check how badly she was hurt. "Okay, some very nasty burns, but I can fix them. Headmaster Ambrose is the only one I can trust to help with anything, but I don't want to worry him. I should at least go tell him about the monsters' strange behaviors, though, but I have to patch myself up first."

* * *

Suri gasped. "Angel, are you sick? You look pale."

Angel blinked. "How can you even tell when my hair and skin are almost the same color? Anyway, shouldn't you be with Angela?"

Suri scratched her head. "Yeah, she's doing something for Professor Greyrose."

Angel scoffed. "Thaumaturges are almost never in the places they could be most useful. Professor Wu didn't give _you_ anything to do?"

Suri giggled. "Professor Wu's pretty calm. She's not insistent that I get something done soon."

Angel rolled her eyes. "You're probably the laziest Theurgist in the history of Ravenwood."

Suri laughed. "Yeah, probably. So, what are _you_ up to, Miss Necromancer?"

"I just need to see the Headmaster," Angel replied. "Something weird's going on." She stumbled to the door.

Suri blinked. "Something _is_ wrong with you! Why don't you sit down?"

Angel glared. "Go away, Suri. Stop trying to reel me in all the time!"

Suri stared. "Is it bad to try and help someone?"

"I don't need any help, nor do I want it!" Angel snapped. She walked into the Headmaster's house.

Merle Ambrose was sitting at his desk as opposed to standing with loads of students around him. The house also appeared to be missing said students. Ambrose looked up. "Angel, are you ill?"

Said girl made her way to his desk. "I'm fine. There's something going on in Krokotopia. The monsters don't seem to be following the battle rules. I was battling some Flame Servants and had five on me before I blinked."

Ambrose gestured to a chair. "Sit down, child. You're dreadfully pale."

Angel sighed and sat. "Suri said the same thing, but, how can anyone notice when my hair and skin are both white? I don't get it."

Ambrose put his elbows on his desk and clasped his hands together. "It _does _stand to reason that you didn't make it out of that battle without a scratch. Which Suri did you talk to? We seem to have quite a few."

"Suri Jadebreeze," said Angel.

Ambrose grinned. "Ah, that's right, the Theurgist. A Necromancer and a Theurgist reminds me of Malistaire and Sylvia. Oh, I apologize. You weren't finished, were you?"

Angel waved it off. "No, but you didn't stay off topic long. Anyway, after a while, these walking skeletons showed up and started attacking them, so I teleported home before they saw me. Are they new monsters or something?"

Ambrose stroked his chin. "It could be a possibility. After you came to me last week about those black creatures, they started showing up everywhere. I doubt there's a soul who _hasn't_ seen them."

Angel thought for a minute. "What's the deal with those things anyhow? They just showed up one day."

"There's something sinister happening," said Ambrose. "Ever since those dark creatures have appeared, I've been receiving reports of disappearances. As if that wasn't enough, these strange, white creatures have been appearing and the two groups are apparently fighting each other."

Angel stared. "So, they're enemies, then?"

"They appear to be," Ambrose replied.

Suri burst in. "I'm so sorry, Headmaster, but I just _know_ something's wrong with Angel. I'd like to see if I can help."

Angel groaned. "Don't you understand what 'stop bothering me' means?"

Ambrose sighed. "Now, Angel, don't be harsh. You should let your peers help you instead of trying to do everything alone."

Angel sank down into the chair. "I gave up on that ages ago, Headmaster. None of them would help me before, so why should I trust them to help me now?" She got up and felt dizzy. She attempted to shake it off and make her way to the door, but she fell over, breathing heavily.

Ambrose gasped and got up, followed by Suri. "By Bartleby, I knew _something_ was wrong, but I didn't think it was _this_ bad."

Suri knelt down. "She has to be hurt pretty bad. I'm a Theurgist. I'm sure I can heal her if she cooperates."

Ambrose looked to his now-unconscious ward. "Well, she won't be fighting you now. You shouldn't have a problem."

Suri looked up. "I'll probably have to remove her robe, so shouldn't we lock the door or something?"

Ambrose waved his wand. "There, that dilemma is solved."

Suri nodded and removed Angel's robe. "She attempted to treat herself, but she's bleeding through the bandages." She removed the bandages and gasped. "There are burns on her stomach and sides. I think I can heal them, but she'll have scars for sure."

Ambrose chuckled. "She isn't one to care about that, Suri."

Suri worked a healing spell. "I don't get why she works alone all the time. No matter what, she always fights and works on her quests on her own. She also just plain refuses to make friends."

Ambrose sighed. "Be patient with her. One day, she will want friends and learn to trust again."

* * *

**Three reviews please. Unfortunately, I'm not positively identifying the new member for one or two more chapters, but if anyone has a guess on who she is, PM me. I'll only let you know if you're right if you PM me since I don't want to spoil anything. By the way, if I confirm your guess, please don't go spoiling the story by telling anyone else. **


	3. Ch2 The Search Begins

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I know some people reading this have probably not played Wizard101, so if you don't understand any references I make to the game, go ahead and ask. Hint about the new member is that she is one of the characters I have introduced. I don't know if everyone's aware of this, but Merle Ambrose is not mine. He's basically the one in charge of the whole school in Wizard101. I just hope I got him in character or pretty close to it. He's the only actual character from the game that will make an appearance because I'm just scared to death that anyone else would end up very much OOC if I put them in.**

**There's a semi-awkward moment in this, but I put it in for humor reasons and because I like to mess with Axel and Koxra.**

**Disclaimer: I only own Koxra, Vilx, Risox, Raxik, Nikki, Pocket, Angela, Suri, and Angel.

* * *

**

Axel was sitting on the edge of a sidewalk. He looked up as he heard approaching footsteps. "You guys find anything?"

Koxra sighed. "Practically _everyone's_ seen them. So much for narrowing things down."

Luxord leaned against a nearby building. "It also seems that Dusks are appearing. We should send them to the Castle before _they_ start causing trouble."

Koxra stared. "Why can't we just keep them here to help control the Heartless population?"

Axel stood up. "Xemnas won't like it. He only wants Dusks on a mission if it's absolutely necessary. He wouldn't count _this_, got it memorized?"

Koxra scoffed. "What if we need back-up, then?"

Axel stared. "We use our Nobodies."

Koxra snorted. "That's all well and good for you and Luxord, but _I_ don't control a special group of Nobodies."

Axel shook his head. "Not everyone does, but _anyone_ in the Organization can control the Dusks. Just call some of them."

"I wouldn't _have_ to if we would keep them here," Koxra retorted.

Axel groaned. "Alright, I'm done trying to explain Xemnas's logic."

Koxra crossed her arms. "I have a feeling you don't really understand his logic anyhow. How can you explain what you don't understand?"

Luxord sighed. "Xemnas is probably the only one who _can_ make sense of his logic. Why don't we use our Locators?"

Axel chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, brilliant, Lux, except for a little factor of there being a _crowd of people_! How crazy would we look walking around and holding out stones?"

Luxord stroked his chin. "Perhaps if we put them in our pockets?"

"That could work," said Koxra. "But it's getting pretty late now. Shouldn't we look for a place to stay? Preferably one with running water cuz I _refuse_ to go without a shower."

Axel sighed. "Let's go see if they have hotels around here, then."

* * *

Angel is what they called her. When she asked them why, they would respond, "Because, you're our angel." Not really understanding, the young child had accepted the answer without question. She knew her parents would have no reason to lie. She was three then and she was gullible.

She turned five and her parents decided to move the family of three. They had stopped in Wizard City and let her out. "Mommy, Daddy, why are you leaving me here?" she asked.

Her mother laughed. "The place we're moving to is amazing, but it doesn't allow children."

Angel blinked. "Why couldn't I stay with Aunt and Uncle, then?"

"Because, my dear, you are entirely too close to that cousin of yours," said her father. "That boy is destined to be a failure. You were never wanted and this move is the perfect opportunity to get rid of you." They left the child to cry.

Years later, Angel, now eight, asked Merle Ambrose, the one who had taken her in, the following: "If I was their angel, why'd they leave me here?"

Ambrose sighed. "I can't answer that, child. The only thing to do is move forward. Maybe, one day, you'll find the answer."

* * *

As soon as she became aware, Angel felt a soft surface beneath her. She moved and groaned. "I think she's waking up!"

Angel opened her eyes and saw Suri and Ambrose. "What happened?"

"Well, you passed out," Suri explained. "I healed your burns."

Angel sat up. "I didn't ask you to. In fact, I told you to leave me alone."

Suri sighed. "You can't handle _everything_ alone."

Angel rolled her eyes. "I told you already that I have no need for friends. All they do is let me down. After so long of no one helping me when I needed it, my faith in almost everyone was gone."

Ambrose stared. "Maybe if you gave them another chance, you'd see that they aren't _all_ like that."

Angel stood up and started walking toward the door. "No offense, Headmaster, but I've given them enough chances and I'm tired of the lack of change. I'm going home. If I'm doomed to live this way, so be it." She walked out the door.

Suri looked up. "You know, Headmaster, my friend, Angela Pixiecaster thinks Angel is a lost cause. She says I'm wasting my time trying to help her."

Ambrose blinked. "And why _do_ you keep trying?"

Suri stared. "A life without friends has to be the loneliest thing in the world. No one should have to live that way."

* * *

"So, it has running water and a bathroom," said Axel. "Now, onto the next dilemma. Who gets to shower first? _I'm_ the highest ranked, so—."

"I don't think so, buster," Koxra cut in. "Ever hear of the expression, 'Ladies first'?"

Axel snorted. "So, you're actually calling yourself a lady this time?"

Koxra crossed her arms. "When it's convenient. And I'm not too sure I like your tone."

Luxord walked up to them. "Perhaps we should settle this with a game of chance?"

Koxra raised an eyebrow. "If you mean Rock, Paper, Scissors, forget it. You _always_ win at games that involve luck."

Luxord chuckled. "I just meant the two of you. I have no problem going last."

Koxra and Axel exchanged glances and Koxra sighed. "Axel, just go ahead. That's how it would pan out anyway. I _suck_ at Rock, Paper, Scissors."

Axel blinked. "You're sure? I mean, you were making such a big deal out of it."

Koxra waved her hand. "I avoid embarrassment when I can. Besides, arguing over who showers first _was_ pretty stupid."

Axel stared in disbelief. "Well, uh, okay then. I'll try not to take too long." He entered the bathroom.

Luxord smirked. "You handled that well."

Koxra sat down on the bed. "I think I'm getting better at stopping myself so I don't lash out. Stop getting so much amusement out of it."

Luxord chuckled. "I just realized something."

Koxra looked up. "What?"

Luxord snickered. "There's only one bed and a couch to sleep on, so two of us will have to sleep together."

* * *

Angela blinked. "You did _what_?"

Suri stared. "Hey, I just wanted to help her. Besides, how can you really judge her when you don't even know her? I can just tell that she needs help."

Angela scoffed. "She keeps pushing you away, so she obviously doesn't _want_ help. So, did you tell the Headmaster about those three we saw this morning?"

Suri scratched her head. "Oops. Sorry, I got sidetracked. Those three didn't seem dangerous, though."

Angela thought for a minute. "They seemed suspicious, though. I think we should investigate them."

* * *

Koxra knocked on the door. "Uh, Axel, Luxord just pointed something out."

The shower turned off. "Yeah?"

Koxra blushed. "Well, um, how do I put this?"

Axel sighed. "Quit stalling."

Koxra gulped, getting redder by the second. "Okay, well, there's only two places to sleep, the couch and the bed, so—."

"Two of us'll have to sleep together or someone will have to sleep on the floor," Axel cut in.

Koxra laughed nervously. "Uh, yeah, that's right."

Axel hesitated. "If you're thinking of making me sleep with Luxord, you can forget it."

Koxra blinked. "_What_? Why would you even _ask_ that?"

Luxord chuckled. "You'd have to buy me a drink first, mate."

"Not funny in the _least_ bit, Lux," Axel replied.

Luxord rolled his eyes. "Where's your sense of humor? I guess I'll take the couch and let you and Koxra have the bed, shall I?"

Axel came out of the bathroom after he had finished dressing. He shook his head and some excess droplets flew off his spikes. "Yeah, that works. Don't worry, Kosh. I'm not gonna do anything. Besides, that kinda thing shouldn't be done on missions."

Koxra stared. "I didn't think you _were_ gonna do anything. I'd expect that from Flowers maybe if we didn't hate each other."

Axel laughed. "Yeah, maybe. You getting in or what?"

Koxra punched herself in the head. "Oh, yeah. Duh, I almost forgot."

* * *

Angel arrived in her dorm and slammed the door shut. "How mean do I have to be to get Suri to leave me alone? Everyone _else_ gets it. More importantly, why did that memory pop up again? Forget it. I'm going to bed. Maybe I'll do some investigating about those creatures tomorrow. I can't believe I passed out when I first saw them. I must've been exhausted."

Luxord woke up the next morning and looked to the bed where his companions were sleeping. He smirked as he saw Axel was holding Koxra. _"They both look so peaceful and defenseless when they're sleeping. Since I'm first up, I better start looking around for anything suitable to eat for breakfast." _He extracted a can of peaches from his pack and a can-opener.

Koxra woke up stretching and yawning. "What time is it?"

Luxord looked up smirking. "Roughly 8:00a.m."

Koxra blinked. "Find something funny?"

Luxord chuckled. "Just the way you two were sleeping."

Koxra spotted Axel's arms wrapped around her and blushed. "Oh, shut up."

Axel yawned and opened his eyes. "Uh, how exactly did _this_ happen?"

Koxra shrugged. "Got me. Apparently, Luxord finds it very amusing, though."

Luxord laughed. "Who wouldn't?"

Axel glared. "One more word about it, Gambler, and you will be incinerated, got it memorized?"

Koxra laughed nervously. "Right. Now that _that's_ been settled, what are you eating, Luxord?"

"Peaches," Luxord replied. "This room isn't stocked with food, so I dug into my rations."

Koxra eyed the nearby can-opener. "Even brought something to open it with. Man, you thought of everything."

Axel sat up. "So, either of you know how long this mission is supposed to take?"

Luxord swallowed another peach. "Until we find the new member, I assume. However, we would do well to find her as soon as possible so we don't have to be here long."

Koxra snickered. "What, does the lack of casinos not agree with you?"

Luxord pulled a deck of cards from his pocket. "Perhaps we could play a little poker to make up for it?"

Axel stared. "Maybe when Hell freezes over. I don't plan on losing clothes or munny to you today or any time in the future."

Luxord turned to Koxra. "What about you, then?"

Koxra stood up. "If I don't strip for Axel, what makes you think I'd strip for you? I'm changing in the bathroom." She walked in with her bag and shut the door behind her.

Axel got up and picked up his discarded robe which he had suddenly found himself wearing the day before when they first entered Wizard City. He then sniffed it and shrugged. "Eh, I can wear this today. Just need to change my under-clothes."

Luxord snickered. "Unbelievable."

Axel looked at him. "What is?"

"That someone as obsessed with order and proper hygiene as Koxra fell for someone so sloppy," Luxord replied.

"Well, it's mostly having similar personalities," Axel explained. "Any kind of relationship, romantic, friendship, or other, works pretty good when two people have similar personalities. Sure, opposites can attract too, but that tends to have more problems."

Luxord smiled. "Probably why Xemnas has never been seen with a girl. Any girl who acted somewhat like _him_ would be too terrifying to imagine. He could possible be gay for Saix, though."

Axel snorted. "I _doubt_ that. Even if he _was_, Saix is definitely straight. I grew up with the guy and it would be unrealistic for his sexual orientation to do a back-flip simply because he became a Nobody. Anyway, I don't think _either_ of those two are interested in romance. Imagining either of them in a romantic relationship is as unnatural as Kosh wearing make-up."

Luxord blinked. "She _never_ wears it? I don't think I've seen a girl not bother with make-up at least a little bit in my existence. What about perfume? Surely she uses _that_ from time to time?"

Axel laughed. "She said it stinks. Its purpose is to smell good and she said it stinks! Anyway, if you stop to think, none of the girls wear it much. It would most likely get messed up on a mission and why would they feel the need to look pretty for a mission anyway?"

Luxord thought for a minute. "When you put it _that_ way, it makes sense. What girl _would_ put make-up on before battling Heartless?"

Axel snorted. "Yeah, you got a point there. Man, what's she doing in there?" A cry of pain came from the bathroom which resulted in Axel bursting in. "Kosh, are you—?" He stopped when he realized she had no shirt on. She was, however, wearing a bra.

Koxra picked her head up off the floor that she was now lying on. "I'm fine. I just slipped." She sat up.

Axel gulped. "I'm sorry I just burst in. You could've been naked for all I knew. Really stupid thing to do if I'm trying _not_ to get castrated."

Koxra stood up. "Relax. You have a valid reason and I _am_ wearing a bra."

Axel sighed. "Thank Kingdom Hearts. Here I thought you'd be pissed. Where'd that scar on your upper left arm come from?"

Koxra looked. "Oh, remember when Vexen had to pull that pole out? That's what it's from."

Axel face-palmed. "Oh, yeah. Can't believe I forgot."

Koxra snorted. "You forgot to get it memorized?"

Axel scoffed. "Hey, _you're_ the one with memory for an element, so why didn't you just _make_ me remember?"

Koxra put a finger up. "Okay, Number One: I only use my element when nothing else works or to save someone from being hurt." She put up another finger. "Two: if I used my element every time someone forgot something, I'd be drained every day. If I had had a say, I sure as hell _wouldn't_ have picked memory. I would've picked time, but Luxord already had that and I guess Roxas and Xion are the only two with the same element. I guess no one else was allowed to repeat."

Axel thought. "Hmm, I wonder how it would be if you and Lux each had the other's element."

Koxra laughed. "He'd be what, the Gambler of Lives and I'd be the Writer of Fate?"

Axel laughed. "Neither of those would sound right."

Koxra put her shirt on. "Well, I guess we should wear those robes that we showed up in yesterday. We _do_ have to try and blend in."

Luxord snickered. "You didn't seem concerned about that yesterday."

Koxra glared. "And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Axel scratched the back of his head. "Well, you kinda _did_ cause a scene when you were complaining about the hat."

Koxra crossed her arms. "I'm _still_ not wearing it. Can't you torch it?"

Axel raised an eyebrow. "I'm not torching the thing just because you hate it. If you can, take it home to Ris. _She'll_ find a use for it."

Koxra snickered. "Yeah, no matter what weird thing she winds up doing with it."

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**Three reviews, please. **


	4. Ch3 We Found Her

**Okay, guessing for which character will be the new member has ended since I'm confirming her identity in this chapter. Man, no one took a guess anyhow, so this whole guessing thing was pretty pointless. Oh, sorry, thank you to everyone who reviewed.

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**Disclaimer: I only own Koxra, Vilx, Risox, Raxik, Nikki, Pocket, Angela, Suri, Angel, and the random boy.

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Angela had been following the blue-haired girl all morning, hearing her ask questions about contact with the strange creatures wherever she went. She was wondering about her connection to them when a boy walked up to the girl. "Hey, babe, mind coming with me so we can get to know each other?"

The girl turned and gave him a rather venomous glare. "One: I have a boyfriend. Two: I don't even _consider_ dating someone I don't know. And three: call me 'babe' again and you'll be changing your religion."

The boy backed up. "M-my mistake."

Angela watched the girl walk away. "Well, _she_ has a mouth on her. I wonder exactly how much she knows about those creatures."

"More than _you_, I'd wager. Didn't anyone ever teach you it's rude to spy on people?"

Angela turned to face the blond she had seen with the girl the previous morning. "You lecture about rudeness and you sneak up on me? Who are you anyhow? Where did you three come from?"

He chuckled. "Unfortunately, where we come from is classified, but I see no harm in giving names since I _am_ lecturing about courtesy. I am Luxord."

Angela blinked. "Angela Pixiecaster. You're not pulling my leg about that name are you? It's strange."

Luxord sighed. "Yes, I suppose it is. I've grown used to it, though. Dare I ask why you've take to spying on my companion?"

"Well, you three _did_ show up outta nowhere," Angela replied. "Why are you here?"

Luxord thought. "To put it simply, we're looking for someone."

Angela raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

Luxord laughed. "We don't know exactly. We just know that we're looking for a female who's supposed to live in this city and knowing home and gender doesn't really narrow things down much."

"Can if be _any_ girl?" asked Angela.

"With specific qualifications," Luxord replied. "I know we haven't spoken with every girl here. We just decided to split up and cover more ground."

"Makes sense," said Angela. "So, your friend over there, does she _always_ have that much attitude?"

Luxord smiled. "Whenever she's offended. She's not really that bad once you get to know her."

Angela snorted. "Makes me wonder what sort of guy her boyfriend is."

"They're pretty similar," Luxord said. "But here I am getting off-topic with what I'm supposed to be finding out. Has anyone you know been acting differently?"

Angela blinked. "I wouldn't say 'acting differently', but I heard from my friend that this Death student saw some sort of undead skeletons. Said they just popped out of nowhere and fought so she had time to get away from an ambush. No one else has seen anything like them, though and between you and me, I think that girl's messed up more ways than one."

Luxord stroked his chin. "Regardless of your personal opinions, I'd say this is worth investigating. You wouldn't happen to know where to find this Death student, would you?"

Angela shrugged. "She goes off on her own all the time. Never helps anyone or asks for anyone's help. The Headmaster might know where she is, though. He took her in. His house is right over there."

"I think that will do," said Luxord. "I appreciate your help."

* * *

Angel sighed. "Why am I still dwelling on what I said to Suri? Well, I suppose I shouldn't have bitten her head off. Even if I can't trust people, it doesn't mean I should yell the few times someone _does_ help me." She stopped. "More of those black creatures. They're everywhere now. These things _never_ followed the battle rules from what I remember."

Some came running over to her and then stopped and looked around in confusion. "What's going on? They attacked me last time. Is something different now or do they have a master who's giving them orders?" They backed up as some white creatures appeared to come from behind her and start fighting them. The creatures appeared to not really have much of a face, save for a mouth that looked as though it could be zippered shut.

Angel blinked and just stared at the battle before her. Suddenly, one of the white creatures stopped and stared at her. As it came toward her, she was in a panic and trying to focus to cast a spell at it.

Just as it got almost too close for comfort, there was a flash and something appeared in her hand. She looked down and saw some sort of weapon. It had a long, black handle with a curved, white blade at the end. The blade appeared to be sword-like. "What is this? More importantly, where did it come from? Thin air?" She looked at the creature who had now stopped. "Aren't you attacking me?" As if it felt it was providing an answer, it simply bowed and resumed fighting.

Angel sighed and looked at the strange weapon. "And what am I supposed to do with _this_?" It then vanished. "Um, okay. I think I'll go see what the Headmaster thinks."

"HELP!"

Angel turned. "What? Where did that come from?"

"PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP ME!"

Angel blinked. "Oh, up the road. It sounded like Suri. Why do I care? It has nothing to do with _me_." She sighed. "Who am I kidding? She always tries to help and all I ever do it bite her head off. She really _was_ a big help yesterday too. She treats me better than I deserve. Hell, I'd have to be heartless not to go help her." She ran up the road.

* * *

Ambrose stroked his chin. "I can't say I've ever heard of such a strange name before."

Luxord chuckled. "That's not the first time I've heard that today."

Ambrose smiled. "I'm sure it won't be the last. Now, what can I do for you?"

"Well, my friends and I are looking for someone and investigating these creatures that have been showing up here," Luxord explained. "Our unofficial leader has us looking around the city for any leads."

"Who exactly are you looking for?" asked Ambrose.

Luxord laughed. "That's just the thing! We don't know _who_ she is. All we know is that we're looking for a girl who lives somewhere in this city. Well, there's a certain quality she must have, for lack of a better word, but that quality is classified."

Ambrose thought. "That isn't much to go on. Why exactly did you want to talk to _me_, though?"

"I heard from one of the students that a Death student came to you and mentioned a group of walking skeletons saved her life," said Luxord. "I want to question her and was told you might know where to find her."

"Oh, yes, I believe she mentioned visiting the Haunted Cave at the end of Triton Avenue," Ambrose replied. "A lot of those creatures gathered in there."

"Thank you," said Luxord. "I'll head right over there after I meet up with my friends."

* * *

Luxord was leaning against a wall. He looked up as he heard approaching footsteps. "So, did you find anything or were you too busy harassing that boy?"

Koxra blinked. "You saw that?"

Luxord smirked. "It was nicely done, but we are not here to terrorize people."

Axel sighed as he walked up. "Who's she been terrorizing now?"

Luxord chuckled. "Some poor fool who hit on her. She even threatened his manhood."

Axel snickered. "Jeez, Kosh, isn't that a bit extreme?"

Koxra glared. "He called me 'babe'! I _hate_ that! That's a way to address beautiful, stuck-up super-models. I'm nothing like that."

Axel crossed his arms. "Funny. One would think that going by that explanation, you'd be flattered if someone thought you were a super-model."

Koxra rolled her eyes. "That tells me they're just judging me by looks if they think I look like one. _I_ know I'm not stunningly beautiful and I couldn't care less. Beauty is precisely why I hate super-models."

Luxord cleared his throat. "Now that _that's _been settled, do either of you have any leads?"

"Well, I ducked into an alley in the Shopping District to check my Locator," said Axel. "It was pointing in the direction of Olde Town, but I figured I should come get you guys first."

Koxra sighed. "All _I_ dug up is that rumors are all over the city about someone named Angel Soulheart." Luxord's eyes widened. "Does that name mean something to you?"

Luxord blinked. "Uh, no, nothing."

Koxra crossed her arms, but let it go. "So, did _you_ get any leads?"

Luxord snapped out of his stupor. "Oh, yes. Apparently, there is a Death student whose life was saved by what she is said to have described as 'walking skeletons'. However, she was the only one to see such creatures, so I doubt they are native monsters. She's in the Haunted Cave at the end of Triton Avenue. I'd like to question her since there may be a connection between the new member and the appearance of the skeletons."

Axel thought. "Hang on, what if this Death student is the girl we're looking for?"

Koxra smirked. "All the more reason to get going and find out."

* * *

Suri rolled out of the way as one of the giant, clawed hands reached for her. "Four of these and that thing in the middle? I've never seen them before. They aren't following the battle rules and how do I kill them? SOMEBODY HELP ME!" She shut her eyes as another claw reached for her. When she felt no pain, she opened them to see someone standing over her and blocking the claw with a long, black and white weapon. "Angel?"

Angel groaned as she used the weapon to shove the claw away. "Nice mess you got yourself into."

Suri stared at the weapon. "What is that? Where did you get it?"

Angel shrugged. "I don't know and thin air."

Suri blinked. "Thin air?"

Angel rolled her eyes. "Now is not the best time to explain things. You know how to kill these things?"

Suri got up. "I can't concentrate enough to cast anything. Those claws keep attacking me."

Angel gripped the weapon. "Then, I'll distract them while you cast."

Suri nodded. "Okay. Just try no to get hit."

* * *

Koxra groaned as she killed what felt like the fiftieth Possessor. "There has to be a boss somewhere since there's so many Heartless."

Axel cut through a Neoshadow with a chakram. "This is ridiculous! How many did we cut through?"

Luxord killed a Watcher. "I lost track. It seems like there's something big up ahead. Maybe it's the boss."

Koxra panted as she killed another Possessor. "At _this_ rate, by the time we get there, it'll be too late. We need back-up."

"Coming right up," said Axel. He summoned a horde of Assassins who made short work of the remaining Heartless. "There, now maybe we can get moving."

"Let's waste no time, then," said Luxord.

* * *

By casting the Leprechaun spell several times, Suri had managed to help Angel kill two of the claws. She then looked up. "Angel, look out!"

Angel turned as a claw picked her up. She struggled and it threw her toward the creature in the center. She tumbled in mid-air to try and get out of the way. She was about to hit the ground when she noticed her landing had been way too soft. She blinked and looked up. "Dorlu?"

He smirked. "That used to be my name. It's Luxord now." He put her down. "Are you hurt?"

Angel stared. "No, I'm fine."

"WILL YOU GET THE HELL OVER HERE, LUX? Kosh looks almost ready to pass out."

"I do not! I'm perfectly fi—."

"Yeah, you're perfectly fine when the Leechgrave almost hit you."

Luxord face-palmed. "Just focus on killing the thing instead of arguing about who's tired."

"Hey, Mr. Gambler, I'm your superior which means _I'm_ in charge here, got it memorized?"

Luxord sighed. "I'll tell you what I think of your leadership once we've killed this." He turned to Angel. "Excuse me for a moment." He went to the center and attacked the temporarily out-of-commission Leechgrave with the other two until it disintegrated and a heart floated away.

The blue-haired girl nearly fell over and the giant pen in her hand vanished. She was caught by the red-head, whose spiked wheels he had been using for weapons also vanished. "Not tired, huh?"

She grumbled. "Oh, shut up. I am already. There, happy?"

He shook his head as he tried to steady her. He spotted Angel and an approaching Suri. "This is Koxra, he's Luxord, and I'm Axel, got it memorized?"

Koxra snorted. "Let me guess: you purposely saved your name for last so your catchphrase would have more of a ring to it?"

Axel stared. "Hey, shut up. They weren't supposed to know that." He looked at Luxord. "So, you checked, didn't you?"

"Yes," said Luxord. "We found her. Why _she's_ here and her parents aren't is beyond me."

Koxra blinked. "Mind letting us in on it?"

"I suppose I better," Luxord replied. "This is Angel Soulheart and she is my cousin."

* * *

After they had taken Suri home, Luxord, Axel, and Koxra took Angel to where they were staying. Angel crossed her arms and sat on the bed. "Okay, so what exactly do you have to tell me that had to wait until Suri got home?"

Luxord sighed. "_I'll_ explain since you two are almost useless in these areas." The Nobodies in question glared at him. "It's the truth."

Koxra crossed her arms. "Hey, I did just fine when I was explaining all the members to Vilx."

Axel shrugged. "Eh, I'm feeling a bit lazy and Lux volunteered."

Koxra let herself fall on the couch. "Fine, might as well relax."

Luxord turned back to Angel. "Well, what would you like to know first?"

Angel thought. "Well, you said your name changed. _Why_ did you change it?"

Luxord pulled up a chair and sat. "It's what happens when one joins the Organization. We discard our old name and our new name is an anagram of the old with an 'x' thrown in somewhere. Some members came up with their own new name while others took the best suggestion they heard."

Angel nodded. "Okay, now about this Organization. Just tell me everything you know along with what you want with me."

"We are known as Organization XVIII as of now since we have eighteen members," Luxord explained. "You joining would make us Organization XIX as we change the name to account for each new member. A rank system is in place with Number One, our leader, being the highest. The higher our number, the lower our rank. We are ranked in the order we joined, so someone who's younger may outrank someone who's older. We've all joined together for one purpose: to regain our hearts."

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**Made it. Just barely 6 pages.**

**Three reviews please. **


	5. Ch4 Going Home

**Man, I think last time must've been a record for how fast the reviews came up. Thank you to everyone who reviewed.

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**Disclaimer: I only own Koxra, Vilx, Risox, Raxik, Nikki, Pocket, Angela, Suri, Angel, and her Nobody.

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Angel snorted. "Right. Tell me, did you pick up a drug habit or get yourself committed since I saw you last?"

Luxord scoffed. "I assure you that nothing is wrong with my thought process."

Angel stared. "Living without a heart defies both anatomy and logic. Modern medicine says no pulse equals corpse."

Luxord smirked. "And I'm sure you won't mind proving us wrong by checking for a pulse?"

Angel shrugged. "I might as well humor you." She checked each wrist and felt nothing. She then checked her neck. Her eyes widened as she again felt nothing. "How is this even physically possible? If you three are the same, then, by all logic, we shouldn't be living!"

Axel sighed. "We're not supposed to exist and yet we still do. We haven't figured out _why_ that is, but now that I think about it, if we're existing, how can we say we're _not_ supposed to? Maybe our existence always _was_ intended."

Koxra grabbed her head and groaned. "Stop it! You're making my head hurt!"

Luxord cleared his throat. "As I was saying, the Organization is made up of people, like us, who have lost our hearts."

Angel crossed her arms. "So, how exactly can people lose their hearts?"

"The only way we know of is when a creature called a Heartless takes it," Luxord replied. "The six Founders might have done things differently, but they never told us how it happened. Heartless are those black creatures that have been appearing here."

Angel thought. "Well, that explains how I lost my heart. What are those _white_ creatures, then?"

"Those are Dusks," Luxord explained. "They're a breed of lesser Nobodies and I mean with a capital 'n'. Nobody is the term for someone who lost their heart. We are all Nobodies too. The difference is that we had strong enough hearts to keep our identities."

Angel tapped her cheek. "There's one other thing that's been bugging me, though. If my heart's gone, does that mean I can't feel emotions and that it's the same for _all_ Nobodies?"

Koxra rolled her eyes. "Some members think we can't feel, but some think we can. You'll have to decide for yourself."

"Hold on, I just remembered something," said Angel. "What about those skeletons and the weird weapon that just showed up in my hand?"

"Focus on the skeletons," Luxord suggested.

She did so and several appeared. "They _never_ would've attacked me, would they?"

Axel leaned against the wall. "Nope. I'd say they have something to do with your element. _What_ they have to do with it, I don't know. The closest comparison to this is Demyx's water-clones."

Koxra sat up. "So, what's her element, then? Cuz all I can guess is skeletons or bones."

Angel raised an eyebrow. "Element?"

Luxord scratched his head. "Oh, I forgot to mention that. Every member wields a weapon or weapons and can control a specific element. We also have titles that usually reference our weapon, element, or both."

"You mentioned ranks, so where exactly are you guys ranked?" asked Angel.

Luxord chuckled. "Might as well give our titles too. Our unofficial leader and the highest ranked here is Axel, Number Eight, the Flurry of Dancing Flames. I'm next. Number Ten, the Gambler of Fate. Lowest ranked of the three of us if Number Fifteen, Koxra, the Writer of Lives."

Angel nodded. "Okay, what about what my element is?"

Luxord thought. "The skeletons have something to do with it. Bone or skeleton is ridiculous, but if we see the skeletons as being undead, death would be a likely element."

Koxra raised an eyebrow. "Seriously. You're positive that's it?"

"Makes sense actually," said Axel. "More than bone or skeleton, at least."

"But wouldn't something like death be dangerous depending on how it works?" asked Koxra.

Axel smirked. "_Anything_ can be dangerous if misused, got it memorized?"

Luxord cleared his throat. "Now, about that weapon. Try focusing on it. Maybe if we see it again, we can figure out what it is."

Angel did so and the weapon appeared in her hand. She looked at it. "I've never seen anything like it before."

Koxra looked up. "I think it's called a naginata. I saw a picture in a book in the library before."

Axel blinked. "Should I ask _why_ you were looking at pictures of weapons?"

Koxra shrugged. "I was bored."

Angel stared. "Uh, how do I get rid of these?"

"Think them away," said Axel.

Angel did so. "Your mission is to get me to join you, right?"

"Yes," said Luxord. "Is there a problem?"

Angel shook her head. "I don't see a reason not to, but will I be able to come back here?"

Axel shrugged. "For missions and we _do_ get down time if you would want to visit anyone."

"I assume I can't tell anyone exactly what's happening, right?" asked Angel.

Luxord stood up. "Precisely. What _will_ be safe to tell them is that you are going to live elsewhere and will come back to visit. We _are_ a pretty secretive group. The Superior insists on it."

Koxra got up. "So, I guess that means you have people that you want to know you're leaving."

Angel got up. "Just Suri and the Headmaster. No one else will care. The Headmaster took me in, so I'd have an obligation to tell him anyhow."

Luxord blinked. "You don't have any other friends except Suri?"

Angel scoffed. "I gave up on friends ages ago. Suri's the closest thing I have to a friend."

"If the Headmaster took you in, what happened to your parents?" asked Axel.

Koxra glared. "Axel, what's the matter with you? That's a personal question!"

Angel gave a small, humorless laugh. "You'd find out eventually anyway. What better time than now? When I was five, we were all moving. Along the way, we stopped here. They just threw me out and left me here. As far as I'm concerned, I have no parents! Headmaster Ambrose is the closest thing I have to a parent."

Luxord blinked. "I had no idea they were capable of something like that."

Angel bowed her head. "How they acted before was nothing but a ruse. Naming me 'Angel' must've amused them in some sick, twisted way. Since it's all I've know, I didn't really want to change it. The me I've been for years now, though, never worked with that name, but I couldn't think of anything else, so I kept it." She chuckled. "Who knows? Maybe some part of me is still fool enough to think they'll come back. I don't think I'll care about changing my name, but I can't think of anything to change it to."

Luxord thought. "What do you think of 'Laxgen'?"

Angel lifted her head up. "It's an improvement from 'Angel'. I like it."

Koxra crossed her arms. "Well, now that _that's_ settled, can we wrap things up and head home?" The newly-christened Laxgen (pronounced Lax-jen) bid her farewells and the four Nobodies later walked through a portal.

* * *

Zexion moved a rook. "Checkmate."

Xigbar looked down. "Wh—not again. That's the tenth time in a row you've beaten me!"

Zexion smirked. "You were the one with enough ignorance to challenge me to chess, Two."

Axel cleared his throat. "Sorry to interrupt, but I thought you'd like to know that we brought a new member with us."

Zexion stood. "Two days. I take it she wasn't easy to find?"

Koxra crossed her arms. "Maybe if we would've had more to go on than gender and world of origin, we would've been done in a matter of hours."

"Anyway," Luxord cut in. "Before we stray off-topic, this is Number Nineteen, whose name is now Laxgen. Just to get this in the open now, she's also my cousin."

Xigbar blinked. "Seriously? Isn't she a bit well…young to be your cousin? Wow, if looks could kill."

Laxgen glared. "I'm fourteen, I'll have you know!"

Zexion face-palmed. "Fourteen is not that young, Two."

Luxord rolled his eyes. "We're not here to debate age. Laxgen, this is Number Two, Xigbar, the Freeshooter and Number Six, Zexion, the Cloaked Schemer."

"Oh, that reminds me," said Laxgen. "You mentioned that everyone had an element earlier."

"Yes," said Luxord. "So far, there are members who control nothingness, space, wind, ice, Earth, illusions, the moon, fire, water, time, flowers or nature, however you choose to see that one, lightning, light is controlled by two of the members, memory, telekinesis and telepathy, darkness, and diamonds."

"And you're sure mine is death?" asked Laxgen.

"We'll be surer after we confirm it with Vexen," said Axel.

Laxgen stared. "Right. And that would be who?"

"Number Four, Vexen, the Chilly Academic and our unofficial doctor," Axel replied. "He's as frozen as his element."

Laxgen crossed her arms. "If that was your best joke, I feel sorry for you."

Axel blinked. "Now don't be telling me you have no sense of humor."

"Not much of one," Laxgen replied. "Haven't really had anything to laugh at in years."

Axel groaned. "Well, try to get one. _One_ Vexen in this Castle is bad enough. Okay, let's go to see Vexen. Lux, you can give the report and Kosh, get cleaned up and try to rest."

Koxra glared. "I rested enough! I _did_ wanna check on Vilx, though."

Axel sighed. "Do that, then, but take it easy. We're all exhausted, but you look the worst." He headed down the hall with Laxgen.

Koxra looked at Luxord. "Something's bugging you, right?"

Luxord sighed. "It's just that she hasn't smiled _once_ since we found her. Not even a forced one. The little girl I knew back then was all smiles and energy. Is that little girl still in there?"

"Her case of trust is more severe than mine," said Koxra. "But, if we're patient with her, maybe she can learn to trust again and be happy. I think we already have an advantage since her mentor will be Rax and she'll be next door to Ris. No one can try to hide inside themselves around those two. Oh, that reminds me: Ris'll love finding a use for this hat I brought back."

* * *

"Is there a reason my room is next to Number Seventeen's?" asked Laxgen.

"Number Eighteen is male," Axel replied.

Laxgen hesitated. "Oh, I guess that makes sense. Two rooms are connected by a bathroom, right? What's this Number Seventeen like?"

"Risox, the Angel of Midnight, element is darkness, but she acts the opposite of her element," Axel explained. "Half of her personality is like an extremely optimistic and reckless five-year-old. The other half is logical and capable of reasoning. What's pretty annoying is how she can switch to either half without warning."

Laxgen sighed. "Lucky me. I get to room with her."

"Hey, Axel, heads up!" The Flurry looked in the direction of the voice, his eyes widened, and he flattened himself and Laxgen against the wall. Risox rolled past on a swivel-chair seconds later.

Axel face-palmed. "She's gonna get herself killed one of these days. Where's Zex? He's usually yelling at her by now."

Zexion stopped nearby and clutched a stitch in his side. "Perhaps _you_ would have better luck catching up to her, then. I _would_ yell at her had I not been wasting so much energy running." There was a crash. His eyes widened before he ran toward the sound.

Axel sighed. "Well, that's Ris's child half for you. Mind meeting her now? Provided she's okay, that is."

Laxgen shrugged. "Why not? Might as well learn what I'll be dealing with."

Zexion found Risox on the floor and the chair off to the side. "Risox, are you alright?"

Risox giggled and slowly began getting up. "That was so awesome! Zexion, you gotta try this!"

Zexion sighed. "What did I tell you about sliding on swivel-chairs?"

Risox grinned. "That I could break my neck doing that?"

Zexion crossed his arms. "And you disregarded that warning because?"

Risox stood up. "I can't help it. It was too fun _not_ to do. I know that's not a good excuse."

Zexion stared. "That's not even worthy of being clarified as an excuse."

"I don't think there _is_ a good reason for sliding on a swivel-chair, Zex," said Axel. "Trying to kill _us_ along with yourself, Ris?"

Risox stared. "Hey, I didn't really expect anyone to be standing in the hallway." She turned to Laxgen. "Oh, you new? I'm Risox."

"Laxgen," Laxgen replied. "You don't always do things like this, do you?"

Risox smiled. "Yep. It's fun."

Laxgen stared. "I don't see what's so fun about risking possible injury."

Risox laughed. "Most people don't. Luxord's probably the only one who _somewhat_ gets why I do risky things. Did you meet him yet?"

"He's my cousin," Laxgen replied.

Risox blinked. "Whoa. You're nothing like him, you know."

Laxgen stared. "Yes, I'm well aware of that."

Zexion shook his head. "Just because she is related to Ten, that doesn't mean she will act like him. Nine and Eighteen are brothers and there are differences between them."

"Excuse me for making ignorant assumptions, then," said Risox. "Am I dismissed to try and get her situated?"

Laxgen blinked. "What just happened? She was a crazed lunatic roughly ten seconds ago."

Axel chuckled. "I told you she shifts without warning. She's 'Logical Ris' now."

Laxgen rolled her eyes. "Terrific. A psycho roommate. Just what I always wanted."

Risox laughed. "I have yet to figure out how and why I do that. How about we get going before my child half comes back?"

* * *

"So, you can decorate your room however you want," Risox explained. "And, I know this is common sense, but if the bathroom door is closed, knock first. I apologize in advance if I forget to shut it the first week or so, but no one but me has been using the bathroom, so I saw no need to shut any doors."

Laxgen thought. "Makes perfect sense. The Organization fights these Heartless, right? They won't expect that much out of me yet, will they?"

Risox snorted. "Of course not. They start you on easy missions with a mentor to sort of show you what to do. Your mentor is Raxik. I hope he's up for it. Well, Vilx did a good job with me and _she's_ pretty gentle. Rax doesn't have self-esteem problems, so he'll do just fine."

Laxgen stared. "He's not younger than me, is he? I'll feel a little awkward if he is."

"Well, how old are you?" asked Risox.

"Fourteen," Laxgen replied.

Risox stared. "Hmm, you're the youngest we've had. Rax is fifteen."

Laxgen blinked. "_I'm_ the youngest?"

Risox laughed. "Yep. It doesn't really matter how old you are. As long as you can do your job, Xemnas doesn't care."

Laxgen thought. "Xemnas? He's the boss, right?"

Risox giggled. "Axel didn't tell you to memorize it?"

Laxgen raised an eyebrow. "Well, yeah. I was just double-checking. Does Axel say 'got it memorized' a lot?"

Risox snorted. "It's his catchphrase, so be prepared to hear it a lot. Oh, that reminds me, since it's so close to dinner, you won't have to pay Xemnas a visit. You can just meet him at dinner. What's your element anyway?"

"Death," said Laxgen. "I think it's pretty fitting."

Risox grinned. "As long as you like it, I guess. Let's go to dinner."

* * *

**Well, Laxgen's profile an pictures will be up since I now gave enough information about her. Look for them on my profile if interested.**

**Three reviews, please. **


	6. Ch5 Training

**More fast reviewing. Yay! Thank you to everyone who reviewed.**

**Disclaimer: I only own Koxra, Vilx, Risox, Raxik, Laxgen, Nikki, and Pocket.

* * *

**

Xemnas cleared his throat. "Fellow members of the Organization, tonight, our newest member, Number Nineteen is joining us."

Larxene blinked. "She looks a little young."

Xemnas stared. "Number Twelve, save your comments for later. Let's all proceed with our meal."

Risox snickered. "So warm and caring, huh?"

Laxgen looked around. "I take it that it doesn't matter that no one sits according to rank. Axel and Koxra are Numbers Eight and Fifteen and _they're_ sitting together. And _you're_ in between me and Zexion."

Risox smiled. "Nope, during mealtimes, it doesn't matter. Kosh and Axel have pretty much sat next to each other since before I joined. Well, they've been dating since before I joined."

"I assume they believe we can still feel, then," said Laxgen. "Who are the rest?"

"Well, Roxas is the blond to Axel's right," said Risox. "Number Thirteen, the Key of Destiny. Next to him is Number Fourteen, Xion, the Key to Nobodies. Next to her is Number Three, Xaldin, the Whirlwind Lancer. Next to Vexen is Number Seven, Saix, the Lunar Diviner. Next to him is Number Eleven, Marluxia, the Graceful Assassin. Next to him is Number Twelve, Larxene, the Savage Nymph and that's it for that side of the table.

Across from Kosh is Number Sixteen, Vilx, the Psychic Image. Next to her is Number Nine, Demyx, the Melodious Nocturne. Next to him is your mentor, Number Eighteen, Raxik, the Miner. Lastly, on Zexion's other side is Number Five, Lexaeus, the Silent Hero. Also, this has nothing to do with the current topic, but I'm warning you ahead of time. Never call Xigbar 'Xiggy' if you value your life. Demyx is the only one who gets away with it."

"Not that I _would_ call him that," said Laxgen.

Risox raised an eyebrow after looking at Laxgen's plate. "Don't you want any chicken?"

Laxgen helped herself to some corn. "I'm a vegetarian."

"Oh, well there's some fish down that way," Risox replied.

Laxgen rolled her eyes. "Fish is a meat. When I say 'vegetarian', that means 'no meat'. A true vegetarian would never eat fish."

"Finally," said Koxra. "A vegetarian who knows fish is a meat! You won't believe how annoying it is when people claim to be vegetarians and they eat fish."

Laxgen scoffed. "They're pretenders. Being a true vegetarian means not to eat or drink anything that directly or indirectly came from an animal. That means no milk, although soy milk is fine, no eggs, yogurt, cheese, I could keep going, but I won't."

Axel blinked. "What do you eat for breakfast?"

"Toast usually," Laxgen replied. "I eat certain cereals if I can put soy milk on them."

Axel's eyes widened. "Jeez, glad _I'm_ not a vegetarian. Is that why you're so skinny?"

Laxgen shrugged. "Most likely. How are _you_ so skinny?"

Axel chuckled. "No clue. High metabolism?"

Roxas laughed. "Lame."

Axel turned. "What was that, half-pint?"

Roxas snickered. "You heard me. You just say the first reason you think of."

Axel smirked. "Okay, you're in trouble now." He put Roxas in a headlock and gave him a noogie.

Roxas squirmed. "Get off! You're messing my hair up!"

Xemnas cleared his throat. "Eight, would you and Thirteen kindly cease being disruptive? If your desire if to act like children, you should do so on your own time. I've no wish to see it."

Axel released Roxas. "Sorry, Superior." Vexen rolled his eyes and Larxene quietly snickered. Everyone continued eating.

Vilx stared. "Koxra, what're you doing?"

Koxra didn't even look up. "Picking out the onions. And you were sick, so why are you at dinner?"

"I'm only eating rice and applesauce," Vilx replied. "Plus, I got better yesterday, so eating bland or somewhat bland food is just a precaution that I can stop tomorrow. Now, if you hate onions, why'd you put something that had them in on your plate?"

Koxra stared. "The only thing I really hate about this dish is the onions, so when I saw them, I thought I'd just pick them out. The rest of it tastes fine."

Axel squinted. "Those onions aren't even an inch long, so how can you_ see_ them, let alone taste them?"

Koxra shrugged. "I have a knack for noticing a food I hate no matter how small it is."

Zexion rolled his eyes. "Fifteen, instead of dissecting your food, you might want to try analyzing it _before_ putting it on your plate."

Koxra glared. "I didn't see them until they were actually on my plate and I didn't feel like wasting time putting it back."

Zexion stared. "So, you'd rather waste time dissecting it, then?"

Koxra rolled her eyes. "Forget it. I'm already doing _this_ and that's that. End of story."

Axel smirked. "Yeah, we got it memorized."

* * *

"I know it's almost time to turn in, but I wouldn't feel right showing you the ropes, so to speak, without introducing myself," said Raxik. "I'm Raxik."

"Laxgen, as you probably already know," Laxgen replied. "Also, Risox told me who everyone was at dinner."

Raxik scratched his head. "I figured someone told you, but I just thought I'd be polite."

Laxgen scoffed. "Politeness is pretty overrated. The only time I'm _mildly_ polite is to my guardian. To everyone else, I'm on one of two settings: casual or rude. As you no doubt noticed, I'm on rude right now."

Raxik shrugged. "Well, I don't expect politeness in return. I just can't help the way I am. Are you familiar with your element at all yet?"

"It appears to be death," Laxgen replied. "So far, it's manifested itself into well, bodyguard skeletons, but if that's all it's good for, I'll be disappointed."

* * *

Laxgen woke up and saw a Shadow on her bed. "You have two seconds to move." It just stared. "Ugh, alright, get lost!" She shoved it to the floor and it disintegrated and released a heart. "What the—? All I did was touch it."

Risox bounced in. "Hey, I just saw a heart float out the window. Are you killing Heartless in here?"

Laxgen sat up. "Does personal space mean nothing to you?"

Risox grinned. "Nope, not really. So, did you kill a Heartless?"

Laxgen got up. "I wasn't even trying. It was on my bed, I shoved it off, and it disintegrated. All I did was touch it. How did it get in here anyhow?"

Risox thought. "Well, every once in a blue moon, someone'll find a Heartless in their room. As for killing it by touch, maybe that has to do with your element."

Laxgen brought a hand to her head. "And I assume dizziness has something to do with that? Plus, I _did_ come in contact with people yesterday and I didn't kill any of _them_ by touching them."

Risox tapped her cheek. "Maybe the dizziness means killing by touch takes a lot out of you. Maybe there's a limit to how many times you can do it before passing out. As for the rest, maybe you should go ask Vexen."

* * *

"Seventeen, if Nineteen is the one with the problem, why are _you_ here?" asked Vexen.

"Moral support," Risox replied.

Laxgen sighed. "Even though I mentioned that I didn't _need_ moral support. Why not make yourself useful and tell Raxik I'll be late?"

Risox laughed. "Oops. Forgot he'd be looking for you. Okay, I'm gone." She portaled away.

Vexen rolled his eyes and turned back to Laxgen. "Seventeen was correct about killing by touch draining your energy. I'd estimate that you'll be able to use it four, possibly five times a day before completely draining your energy. I advise you to only use this power in emergencies, so it would be wise to develop your fighting skills so you don't have to rely on it. As for why no one has died from being touched by you, perhaps this ability just manifested itself this morning. No matter how it happened, it would be wise not to engage in physical contact until you can control it."

"How else am I supposed to suppress it when touching someone, then?" asked Laxgen.

Vexen thought. "Dusks are disposable enough and are here to service us. Because they are easily replaced, they will be perfect to practice on."

Laxgen stood up. "Okay. So, is this the only coat I get?"

Vexen sighed. "Of course not. There may be more of your size in storage. If not, more will be made. Now, I suggest you don't keep Eighteen waiting any longer."

* * *

Raxik's eyes widened. "Vexen told you to do _what_?"

Laxgen stared. "Well, it makes perfect sense. It's not like Dusks have identities, so why would it matter?"

Raxik bowed his head. "It's just that my parents were either killed or turned into Dusks. If they _were_ turned into Dusks and you go on a Dusk-killing spree, there's a chance you could wipe out that part of them. Besides, all the Dusks _did_ used to be someone."

Laxgen rolled her eyes. "I guess I can understand that. _He's way too sympathetic for someone who's not supposed to have feelings._ I can practice on Heartless."

"Well, better them than the Dusks," Raxik replied. "Heartless don't really get in the Castle much, though. We'll have to go into the city."

* * *

"Okay, how do I get near enough to work on this?" Laxgen asked.

Raxik encased a Shadow in diamonds. "Well, there we go. I'll just catch one at a time and you can practice on them."

Laxgen stared. "This has to do with your element, right?"

"Yeah," Raxik replied. "It's diamonds."

Laxgen rolled her eyes. "And that's why you're called the Miner. Yeah, real cute. Let's just hope it doesn't take me too long to get the hang of it." Raxik released the Shadow and Laxgen began working to get the hang of the inconvenient side-effect her new powers had given her.

* * *

"What's wrong, Vilx?" asked Demyx.

"Well, it's four in the afternoon and Raxik isn't back," Vilx replied.

Demyx lied down on the couch. "Rax said he was just taking the new girl, Laxgen out into the city to practice her power on some Heartless. He's just fine handling the weak Heartless that run around here. With all us Nobodies along with the lesser Nobodies, there really isn't a chance for the Heartless to get to be the big, menacing kind."

Koxra sighed. "They're probably late cuz Laxgen's giving him a hard time. She _is_ pretty mean and stubborn."

"So, she makes _you_ look like Mother Theresa?"

Koxra glared. "Can it, Roxas."

* * *

Laxgen panted as a Shadow ran away. "I finally managed _not_ to kill one."

"Well, fifth time's the charm, I guess," Raxik replied. "And it looked like you could fight it longer each time." Laxgen fell over and Raxik kneeled down beside her. "Are you okay?"

Laxgen gave him a glare. "What do you _think_?" She passed out.

Raxik examined her. "Still breathing and no sign of fading. She's just drained. Why didn't she mention that there was a limit to how many times she could do this?" He sighed and put her limp arm across his shoulders. "Guess I might as well take her home and let her rest." He opened a portal and helped her through it.

* * *

Demyx looked up when he heard a portal open. "Whoa, Rax, what happened?"

Raxik eased Laxgen onto a couch. "She drained her energy. Apparently there was a limit on how many times she could use this ability before passing out and she didn't see fit to tell me that she could only do it a certain number of times before she passed out."

Demyx sighed. "Well, it's good that her mentor didn't end up being Saix. _He_ would've just left her there."

Raxik's eyes widened. "Why would anyone do that? Sure, I'm not happy with her not telling me about the limit, but there's no good excuse to _leave_ her there. I better go report her progress. Be right back." He headed down the hall toward Xemnas's office. Demyx summoned his sitar and began playing.

After a while, a moan came from the other couch. "Oww. Where am I?"

Demyx stopped playing. "Back at the Castle on a couch in the Grey Area."

Laxgen sat up. "Demyx, right? How'd I get here?"

"Rax brought you back after you passed out," Demyx replied. "You probably should've told him you were in danger of passing out before it happened. He would've stopped your training for the day sooner."

Laxgen blinked. "I didn't expect him to bring me back."

Demyx laughed. "There aren't very many people who just would've let someone lay there if they passed out. Rax is a good kid. _He's_ far from the type to leave someone there."

"I didn't expect help," said Laxgen. "To be honest, I don't think I've ever been part of a group before."

Demyx sighed. "Yeah, it's the same for most of us. A lot of us seem to have bad pasts too."

Raxik came back in. "Oh, Laxgen, you're awake. How do you feel?"

"Tired mostly," Laxgen replied. "Sort of stiff too. I know this is off-topic, but when will I be able to make one of those portal-things?"

"After I teach you how to fight and you start getting assigned missions," said Raxik. "Well, it's time for dinner."

* * *

Laxgen got into bed. _"Well, Raxik certainly doesn't command authority. He doesn't _act_ like he's any better than me, despite being ranked higher. He didn't even tell me off for leaving out that that power has a limit. He just calmly explained the dangers of not telling the whole truth about something like that. And here I thought mentors were supposed to be strict. That was just odd. For someone who's not supposed to be able to feel, he seemed concerned about my well-being. Definitely a far cry from the strict mentor. He has all the other qualities, but he seems too nice to be ordering anyone around. Alright, how about that thought process ends so I can get some sleep? I'm tired."

* * *

_

Laxgen panted. "How many more days do I have to stay in here and hit these dummies? I've been at it for almost two weeks!"

"Well, since you had never even _heard_ of a naginata before, even learning the basics will take longer than two weeks," Raxik replied. "Good thing Zexion came across this book on techniques cuz _I_ didn't know what a naginata was either."

"So, am I allowed to actually leave this world after I get good enough at using this?" asked Laxgen.

"Well, I'm making sure you can fight somewhat decent first," said Raxik. "It can get pretty dangerous, you know."

Laxgen rolled her eyes. "Back on my homeworld, I pretty much risked my life every day. All on my own too."

Raxik stared. "You won't have to worry about doing everything yourself. Sure we get solo missions from time to time, but we go in groups of twos and threes pretty often too."

Laxgen struck another dummy. "Hmm, not used to having help. It might take some getting used to."

* * *

**Three reviews. Sorry about the ending. It was the best place I could think of to cut the chapter off at. I couldn't work it in, but Laxgen will be known as the Gothic Slayer. **


	7. Ch6 The Visit

**Well, thank you to everyone who reviewed. Some good news: I get a laptop tomorrow! **

**Disclaimer: I only own Koxra, Vilx, Risox, Raxik, Laxgen, Suri, Nikki, and Pocket. I also don't own the song Risox is singing a parody of. I don't know the title, nor do I know who came up with it. It may even be in the public domain for all I know.

* * *

**

Raxik blinked. "You didn't have any friends?"

Laxgen shook her head. "I gave up on friends a long time ago. I just can't trust anyone."

Raxik sighed. "I don't know why you feel that way and you don't have to tell me unless you want to. But, isn't it possible for you to give trusting people one more chance? I'm sure there must be _someone_ you trust."

Laxgen thought. "My guardian and there's a girl I know who's about my age from my homeworld. She's the closest thing I have to a friend."

"See?" said Raxik. "Just give people a chance. Sure you can't trust everyone, but you can't not trust anyone. Well, you _could_, but you would have a very lonely existence."

Laxgen sighed. "I'll think about it. So, what time is it?"

Raxik looked at the clock. "Four o'clock. Well, that's it for today. Let's go get dinner."

* * *

"Peaches, peaches, give me your answer true," Risox sang. "I'm half peaches all for the love of you."

Koxra raised an eyebrow. "What have you been smoking?"

Axel shrugged. "Who knows? Wonder if she has any left."

"I thought the song went 'Daisy, Daisy' not 'peaches, peaches'," said Vilx.

Koxra face-palmed. "It does. Ris is just being an idiot and making a parody so she can sing about peaches."

Laxgen rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Risox, were you dropped on your head at birth?"

Risox shrugged. "Got me. How could I remember that far back? My parents never said anything, so I guess I wasn't."

Laxgen shook her head. "You are most likely the strangest person I have ever met."

Risox grinned. "I get that a lot. Want some peaches?"

Laxgen shrugged. "Why not?" She helped herself to some.

Xigbar turned to her. "Oh, I just thought of something. The perfect nickname for you is 'Demon'."

Laxgen raised an eyebrow. "And you randomly thought of that just now?"

"Actually, I've been thinking it over since you got here last week," Xigbar replied. "But, yeah, I did just _now_ come up with that."

Laxgen thought. "Not bad, actually. I kinda like it."

Zexion sighed. "I'd prefer it if you didn't encourage him, Nineteen."

Lexaeus turned. "I honestly don't see what the problem is. As long as Xigbar's amused with something, who are we to stop him?"

Zexion rolled his eyes. "At least he doesn't use anything embarrassing or childish to refer to _you_, Lexaeus."

Lexaeus stared. "And which of those categories would 'Bookworm' fall under?"

"It's a little of both," Zexion replied.

Lexaeus grinned. "Believe me, there are many other names he could've used that would've been worse."

Xigbar's eyes lit up. "C'mon, dude, don't stop there. Tell me them!"

Lexaeus rolled his eyes. "And participate in humiliating Zexion for the pleasure of your amusement? I believe I'll pass."

Axel smirked. "Oh man, that was mean of you, Lex, got it memorized? Crushing the poor guy's hopes like that. Funny, but mean."

"I don't recall asking him to walk into it," Lexaeus replied. "I realized he _would_, but it's hardly _my_ fault that he's predictable."

Xigbar grumbled. "That was just harsh, Lex."

Laxgen looked at him. "You don't have nicknames for _everyone_, do you?"

Koxra laughed. "Nope. Not that I'd call referring to Marluxia as 'Marly' creative. There's just so many embarrassing things you can call him. _I_ use 'Flowers' and 'Flower-fairy'. Hell, Axel likes to call him 'Pinky' and 'Petals' sometimes."

Risox laughed. "Yeah, this is the same girl who calls Saix 'Wolf-boy' and Vexen 'Frigimon'."

Laxgen blinked. 'Is there any reason for the nicknames?"

"Well, I don't like Flowers and how can anyone with a sense of humor _not_ call him something humiliating?" Koxra replied. "I don't like Saix or Vexen much either. Saix's element is the moon and it makes him go berserk, so he's pretty much like a werewolf. Hence calling him 'Wolf-boy'. And Vexen, well, I just started using the most ridiculous thing related to ice that I could think of. All you need to know is that Frigimon is a Digimon with ice powers. If you want to know what _Digimon_ is, it's basically a cartoon about animal-like creatures with special powers. They can also talk."

Laxgen raised an eyebrow. "You watch cartoons and you're twenty?"

Koxra shrugged. "Doesn't bug _me_, so I don't know why it would bug anyone else. There's no written rule that says adults can't enjoy cartoons."

"I suppose, but most people _do_ outgrow them," said Laxgen. "Though, I guess you aren't most people."

Koxra laughed. "Nope. I'm definitely not."

* * *

Laxgen fell to her knees and panted. "Why did I convince myself that training in the middle of the night would be a good idea? Well, it's mostly because I'm bored with this training so practicing at night to improve quicker so I can get out of the Castle for once was all I could think of." She sighed. "Might as well keep at it. Honestly, I think Raxik is overly-cautious. I don't see why I can't start missions now. I've been drilling the basics into my head long enough."

* * *

"Hey, Luxord, you see Laxgen anywhere?" asked Risox. "She wasn't in her room when I got up."

Luxord stroked his chin. "Perhaps she's already in the kitchen?"

Risox laughed. "Yeah right. Her alarm goes off, but she usually turns it off, then rolls over and ignores it. I have to drag her out of bed and receive a deadly glare in return followed by her practically biting my head off."

"Let's ask around," Luxord suggested. "Besides, Raxik will be looking for her so she can train. Hold on, why don't we dig our Locators out?"

Risox punched her forehead. "Duh! Why didn't _I_ think of that?"

* * *

Laxgen felt a nudge. "Go away."

"When I said to practice, I didn't mean for you to sneak in here in the middle of the night and practice until you're so tired that you fall asleep here."

Laxgen opened her eyes and glared. "Hey, _you're _the one making me waste time on this! I'm bored!"

Raxik sighed. "Not the patient type, are you? Xion told me Koxra got so impatient that she blew a fuse the first week and jabbed that hole in the wall with her pen."

Laxgen looked to the hole in question. "She have tantrums often?"

"I've been told she started settling down when Vilx joined," Raxik replied. "Though Axel says she sometimes sneaks off to the forest near Twilight Town to beat up trees in a fit of rage. She's learned to control her temper or keep it at a reasonable level for the most part."

Laxgen got up. "So, what're we supposed to do about my boredom?"

Raxik thought. "Well, let's get some breakfast first, then, I guess we could spar. After all, you need to learn how to handle yourself with enemies who can actually fight back."

Laxgen stared. "That better not mean you're planning to go easy on me because I'm a girl."

Raxik blinked. "Gender doesn't matter to me. If I _do_ think I need to go easy on you, it'll be due to your lack of experience. You _have_ only been here for roughly two weeks, Laxgen."

Laxgen crossed her arms. "Be that as it may, you should at least be half-trying. If I think you're goin too easy on me, I'll take it as an insult."

"Fair enough," said Raxik. "Sine you didn't go to bed, Risox is probably worried, so we better put her at ease."

Laxgen sighed. "Fine. Why would she care, though? She's only known me for two weeks."

"She's just like that," Raxik replied. "If she ends up liking someone, she starts instantly feeling a connection."

"So, she's quick to judge," said Laxgen. "I don't know why she'd like me since I snap at her a lot. Plus, how can I be expected to like my polar opposite?"

Raxik thought. "Well, they say that opposites attract."

Laxgen glared. "I'm not a lesbian."

Raxik snorted. "It's not _just_ with romance. Take Koxra and Vilx for example. Those two are polar opposites and _they're_ like sisters. Vilx mellows Koxra out and Koxra helps Vilx with her self-esteem."

Laxgen thought. "Isn't it easier for people to have a connection if they're similar, though?"

"I don't think it matters," Raxik replied. "Unless you completely hate someone, putting effort into making a connection will make it happen."

* * *

"Alright, I think it's time I taught you to portal," said Raxik.

Laxgen banished her naginata and wiped her forehead. "It's about time. I don't know why you had me spar with you for a week first."

Raxik sighed. "I was playing it safe and trying to prepare you."

Laxgen rolled her eyes. "Playing it _too_ safe if you ask me. Anyway, since you're teaching me to portal, can we visit my homeworld? I have a couple people who probably want to know if I'm still alive."

Raxik blinked. "That was some pretty cruel humor, but I don't see why we can't. After I demonstrate, you try, and I think you got the hang of it."

Laxgen groaned. "You're being overly-cautious again."

Raxik stared. "No, I'm being sensible. _You _might have little regard for your safety, but that doesn't mean _I_ have to follow your example."

Laxgen sighed. "Fine, just get on with it."

Raxik opened a portal, walked in it, and came out of another portal that was a mere five feet from the previous one. "Now that was just for demonstrations. First, you need to focus on getting one to open. Just focus on it."

Laxgen did so and got one open after five tries. "Now what, Mr. Know-it-all?"

_"Doesn't really think much of me, does she?"_ Raxik thought. "Next, you focus on your destination while walking into the portal. Since this is your first time, try just a couple feet to your right."

Laxgen rolled her eyes and stepped into the portal. She reappeared behind Raxik. "There. Happy?"

Raxik turned around. "Not exactly what I had in mind. Did you go there on purpose?"

Laxgen crossed her arms. "Yeah. Got a problem with that?"

Raxik scratched his head. "Well, no. I'll let it go, though. You still successfully portaled."

"Don't you get mad?" asked Laxgen.

Raxik laughed. "_Everyone_ gets mad. I'm not gonna get mad over something as little as this, though. So, shall we?"

Laxgen opened a portal. I've been _dying_ to get outta this castle for a while."

* * *

"Angel, you're back!" Suri exclaimed. "Did you go see the Headmaster?"

"I saw _him_ first," Laxgen replied. "And my name's not Angel anymore. It's Laxgen."

Raxik blinked. "Your name was Angel?"

Laxgen glared. "None of your business!"

Suri giggled. "Jeez, don't bite his head off. It's just a little curiosity. Who is he anyhow?"

"I'm Raxik and I'm Laxgen's mentor," Raxik replied.

"Suri Jadebreeze," said Suri. "She doesn't give you a hard time, does she?"

Raxik scratched his head. "Not too much."

"I'm obviously not doing a good enough job then," said Laxgen.

Raxik laughed nervously. "It actually takes a lot to get me mad."

Laxgen smirked. "I believe it."

Raxik's eyes widened. "Oh, crap, I forgot to give Xemnas an update before we left! I'll be back!" He dashed away.

Laxgen shook her head. "Pretty pathetic since he's supposed to be watching me."

"He seems nice," said Suri.

Laxgen sighed. "Here I thought mentors were supposed to be strict."

Suri thought. "How old is he?"

"Fifteen," Laxgen replied. "Sometimes he acts older and sometimes he acts younger, though."

Suri sat and motioned for Laxgen to do the same. "So, how have things been?"

Laxgen sat. "Well, the rooms there are connected with one bathroom and I swear my neighbor has a split personality. She's either a complete child or completely logical. No matter which one she is, she never seems to lose her damn perkiness!"

Suri giggled. "She sounds fun. I take it you don't think much of her, though."

Laxgen rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Captain Obvious."

Suri shrugged. "Hey, it's only been like three weeks, so I'm sure you'll get used to her eventually. Anyway, how are Luxord, Axel, and Koxra?"

Laxgen waved her hand. "Pretty much the same. Luxord's love for games of chance never _did_ change since I last saw him and he _still_ has an unhealthy obsession with card games. I don't really talk to Axel and Koxra much."

Suri tapped her cheek. "Are those two dating? I thought I could sort of sense some sort of connection."

"Yeah," said Laxgen. "I think they've been dating since a couple months after Koxra joined."

"That's probably quite a while, isn't it?" Suri asked. "They must've really clicked. So, what do you think of Raxik?"

Laxgen sighed. "He's too soft. Way too nice to be intimidating enough to be a mentor. He's also overly-cautious."

Suri shrugged. "Nothing wrong with being nice."

Laxgen scoffed. "Be too nice and people walk all over you. Strange though it may seem, Raxik isn't the nicest. His brother's girlfriend apologizes for insulting someone the few times an insult actually slips out."

Suri blinked. "Now _that_ sucks. Anyway, you seem different somehow."

Laxgen raised an eyebrow. "Different how?"

"Well, you're more open," Suri replied. "And you're a bit less critical. Plus, you didn't insult me or bite my head off yet."

Laxgen thought. "I guess not being shunned by the majority of people I've been around has helped."

"So, you're actually making friends?" Suri questioned.

"Can't judge potential friends by only knowing them three weeks," Laxgen replied. "Raxik said I should give people another chance. After thinking it over and realizing that none of them knew what life had been like for me here, I decided to take his advice."

_"He must really know how to talk to even the most difficult people,"_ Suri thought. "It's nice that you changed your mind about automatically giving up on people the moment you meet them. So, did you make any friends?"

Laxgen sighed. "So far, the only person I consider a friend is you, Suri. With the way I acted, I'm amazed you put up with me for so long."

Suri smirked. "Let me guess: what you used to do was shun everyone you met before they had a chance to shun you."

Raxik came in panting. "I'm so sorry about that. I usually remember to do these things."

Laxgen smirked. "So, what did Xemnas say when he saw I wasn't with you?"

Raxik's eyes widened. "Holy shit! I wasn't even thinking! Good thing he didn't ask."

Laxgen laughed. "You seriously didn't think about that?"

Raxik blinked. "You're laughing? This is the first time I've seen you laugh."

Suri stared. "This is the first time _I've_ seen her laugh."

"Well, I believe I _did_ tell Axel that my sense of humor is almost nonexistent," Laxgen pointed out. "Can't say I really ever had anything to laugh at, anyhow."

Raxik chuckled. "I hope _that_ changes. If you can't find things to laugh at, you'll turn into Vexen."

Laxgen thought. "That's probably true. He wouldn't recognize a joke if it stripped in front of him."

Raxik laughed. "Ain't _that_ the truth?"

* * *

**Yeah, bad way to end the chapter, but I couldn't think of another way to wrap it up. Oh well. Three reviews, please.**


	8. Ch7 Friends

**This will most likely be the last chapter since I can't really get motivated to write much more of the story, so it'll be a chapter less than most of my other ones. Well, the next story I write will only be 2-4 chapters. I haven't decided yet, but it'll be a short one and I won't introduce any new characters. It's just sort of a continuation of this story, but I didn't think the theme fit to tack it on, so I'm making it its own story.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed.**

**Disclaimer: I only own Koxra, Vilx, Risox, Raxik, Laxgen, Suri, Nikki, and Pocket.**

* * *

"I can't believe you just left me there on my own," said Laxgen. "What if I had run off somewhere? You'd be in major trouble if you couldn't find me. How naïve _are_ you?"

"Well, I wasn't thinking clearly," Raxik replied. "I think you're actually nicer than you act anyway. You just proved that by staying there so I didn't get in trouble."

Laxgen scoffed. "I had a reason. I wanted to talk to Suri. Other than that, where would I go but this world or The World That Never Was? The few people I actually care about are here and, well, you guys aren't half bad either. There's no reason for me to go anywhere else."

"Well, I suppose," said Raxik. _"She can say what she wants, but I think she's starting to like us." _He opened a portal. "After you."

* * *

Risox looked up. "Hey, where were you guys?"

"Learning how to portal," Laxgen replied. "About time too. I was tired of being cooped up in the Castle."

Raxik closed the portal. "Being too prepared never hurt anyone. Besides, you'll be able to start missions soon, though everyone starts on double-recon, then solo-recon and that's followed by double-combat mission and solo-combat mission. Even if some of us have the destructive force of a small army, there really aren't a lot of us. There's only nineteen members and we can't afford to lose any if we want to complete Kingdom Hearts."

Risox laughed. "Even though Xemnas does it unintentionally, he's looking out for our best interests, Lax."

Laxgen raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"

Risox blinked. "What, you don't like that nickname?"

"No, it's fine," said Laxgen. "I just didn't expect it. Why?"

Risox shrugged. "It sounds cool and nicknames are pretty fun. Besides, it's what friends do."

"Isn't it a bit early for me to be considering anyone else as nothing more than coworkers or acquaintances?" asked Laxgen. "I've only been here for a few weeks."

Risox smiled. "To me, a few weeks is enough time to forge a friendship. But, hey, I'm a pretty friendly person."

"So I've noticed," Laxgen replied. "I'm not very social at all. It's just the way I am."

Risox waved her hand. "Eh, Vilx isn't either when you first meet her. I'm sure you'll get more comfortable with time. See ya at dinner." She portaled away.

"Sure is quick to make friends," said Laxgen.

"That's how she is," said Raxik. "I'd say _that's_ the fault of hers that causes Zexion the most worry. I mean, since she makes friends fast, someone could take advantage of that and have an easy time manipulating her."

Laxgen thought. "Maybe if she didn't judge so quick, the odds of that happening would be less likely."

Raxik laughed. "She judges easy and you judge harsh."

Laxgen raised an eyebrow. "Your point?"

"Maybe if you were less harsh, you wouldn't scare as many people away," Raxik replied.

Laxgen sighed. "Scaring people away is all I know how to do."

Raxik smiled. "I'm sure you'll figure it out. You seem like you'd be a good friend if you try."

* * *

**As usual, I apologize for the closing chapter's shortness. I wasn't sure when I started the chapter, but now I am. This is the last chapter of this. A chapter shorter than I usually write, but I guess I can deal with that. The next story will most likely be an even shorter one and won't introduce any new characters. I'm just sitting here thinking of the one character I didn't introduce yet and feeling sorry for her since she'll have to wait even longer to come in. **

**Also, please try to recruit more people to review my stories. I advertise myself on my deviantart signature and pretty much everywhere I am online. I don't know how else I can advertise. Hmm, maybe it would help if I put a link to my profile in every single journal entry on deviantart. Honestly, I don't know what else to do. I waited weeks for just one more review to update this, but I updated with only 2 reviews because I was tired of waiting. I keep saying, "If you don't want to be kept waiting, review." I've mentioned numerous times that I don't start posting a story until I'm done writing it. This way, as soon as I get the necessary reviews, I immediately post the next chapter.**

**On another note, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD COMMENT ON MY OTHER STORIES AND THOSE ON MY FICTIONPRESS ACCOUNT. My profile has a link. Honestly, I don't know how I could possibly make it any easier for people.**


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